Chapter 74 Racing Heart
NANCY’S POV
All the way back to my next lecture hall, I had a huge smile plastered on my face.
It wasn’t just my heart that felt lighter; my steps felt the same, too.
“What are you smiling about?” Diana asked when I slid into the seat she had saved for me, next to her, studying my face curiously.
“Nothing,” I shook my head, trying to contain my joy.
If it were anything else, I wouldn’t have hesitated to share with her, but I couldn’t possibly tell her that her Dad had just admitted to having feelings for me, right?
It wasn’t like I could tell her about the illicit relationship that I was having with him either.
Faced with Diana’s curiosity, I toned down my happiness, wiping the grin off my face before she could question me more.
However, I couldn’t get it out of my head, and my mind kept replaying our conversation and his expression that had all but assented to my question.
Suddenly, I felt an elbow nudge me, and I turned to my side to see Diana watching me with a slight frown on her face.
I had been so consumed by my feelings that I had stopped paying attention to her.
“You are not listening to me,” she pointed out with an offended tone.
“I am,” I tried to bluff my way through it, but she wasn’t having it.
“No, you’re not. I have been talking for the past two minutes, and you didn’t react to anything I said.”
Okay, she got me there.
I didn’t even know she had been speaking to me.
Her frown deepened, and her eyes narrowed on me. “What the heck hell is wrong with you? You have been acting strange since you left my Dad’s office.”
“Nothing,” I responded quickly again.
She clearly wasn't just going to take my word for it because her stare didn't let on.
I pressed my lips together, feigning oblivion until I saw defeat emerge in her gaze.
It was unlike her, but she had given up on getting me to fess up.
Before she could ask me anything else, I stood up quickly.
“I’ll be right back. I need to go to the restroom.”
“Right now?” She asked.
That question of hers told me she likely knew that this was a tactic of mine to evade her questions.
I pretended not to notice and nodded, “Yes.”
Quickly, I scurried out of her sight, and only when I was in the hallway did I let out a sigh of relief.
That relief, however, came too soon.
“You took your time.” A voice said, and soon enough, a shadow appeared next to me.
I lifted my head, and my gaze landed on a familiar-looking face. It took a second for me to make the connection.
The person standing in front of me was a girl named Lily, and I could tell you that I didn’t exactly have a favorable impression of her, for no other reason than the fact that she was one of Vanessa’s minions.
Diana had pointed her out to me, and I had also seen her the night of the party.
I had never spoken to her, and this could also be considered her first time speaking to me, but the moment she stopped close, I noticed the hostility radiating off of her in waves.
Instantly, I was on guard.
“What do you mean?”
I couldn’t help the slight frown that emerged on my face.
“I just saw you walk out of Mr Landon's office. What were you doing in there?”
My heart skipped a beat.
I hadn’t seen her, and I also didn’t know that someone had seen me go in.
It was only for a slight second that I lost my composure before I forced myself to regain calm.
“That’s none of your business.”
Lily’s eyes flashed.
“It is if you’re spending that long in there. You sure took your sweet time with him.”
My breath stilled again, and then my pulse quickened.
I could feel my racing heartbeat even when I tried to remain unaffected.
My mind was already spiraling, considering different questions.
Why had she approached me like this? Did she know something?
My worry heightened when I recollected the conversation that I had just had with Mr Landon, and my heart thumped.
Had she overheard us or…was she eavesdropping?
Lily went on, with her lips curling into a smug, certain smile as though she knew she had rattled me.
“You spent an awfully long time in there.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I denied, deciding quickly that ignoring her would be the right call in this situation.
I was made to move, but her voice stopped me in my tracks.
“What if I heard your conversation?”
Slowly, I turned around, eyes wide with fear.
Lily smirked. “I guess I wasn’t supposed to hear that.
Although my fear was rising, I pretended I couldn't feel it and tried to study her expression, trying to make out if she was bluffing or not.
But, because of the ridiculing smile she wore, I couldn’t tell, and the uncertainty plunged my heart into a deeper abyss of worry.
“How about you tell me what we were talking about?” I said, trying to figure out how much she had heard and how much she knew.
“Why should I tell you what you already know?” She scoffed, then took a step closer towards me.
Close enough for the strong, smothering smell of her perfume to assault my nostrils.
“But if you insist, what I can tell you for a fact is that I heard enough.”
“I was right outside, by the door. You can figure out the rest yourself.”
My heart had never beat so fast in my life, not even when I saw Mr Landon at the airport.
While my heart raced, my throat closed up as well, tightening until I couldn’t breathe.
“What exactly did you hear?” I forced out, voice barely above a whisper.